


Lies

by robron_til_the_end



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-05
Updated: 2017-06-05
Packaged: 2018-11-09 08:37:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11100912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/robron_til_the_end/pseuds/robron_til_the_end
Summary: Rebecca is six months pregnant and the boys are trying to make it work. When confronted, Rebecca can no longer lie any more.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Originally this started to be me rambling about how Aaron knows Robert better than anyone else. Then somehow it weaved into current canon and goes from there. 2-3 chapters I think.

It had been a journey, discovering each of Robert’s particularly sensitive spots, the places that would turn Robert into a mess just by a stroke or a lick. And it had taken time, during the affair for Aaron to discover them. Because they had never had the time for exploring each other properly. Maybe around the first time they had stayed in a hotel together, that was when Aaron realised that digging his teeth gently into the spot below Robert’s belly button made his entire body clench and moan with want. That Robert’s inner left thigh was more sensitive than his right. Over the months, then years, Aaron had discovered dozens of places on Robert’s body and exactly how he liked to be touched. The place on the back of Robert’s neck, just below his hair line got little reaction when Aaron kissed him there, or stroked his fingers across it. What did was a light pinch, just between Aaron’s finger and thumb, the pressure making Robert moan no matter where they were, that easy to do when they were in public if Aaron was feeling brave enough. If Robert put his hands on Aaron’s hips, it meant he wanted sex. If those hands slid up to his waist, or maybe higher to his ribcage, that meant Robert wanted comfort more than anything else.

And it wasn’t just sexual touches either. The bare patch of skin behind Robert’s ear, Aaron would stroke it very gently when Robert wanted reassurance. And it took someone who knew Robert very well to be able to read his cues that he was uncomfortable in the first place. Aaron felt fairly confident that no one did or ever had known Robert physically as well as he did. It had taken quite a few weeks, maybe even months from when they got back together, making a proper go of it that Robert had allowed Aaron to touch his bullet wound, the gunshot scar he would always carry on his chest. When Robert had finally allowed him that, he’d kept a firm grasp on Aaron’s wrist, just in case it was too much.

So when Rebecca put her hand out in the pub to stop Robert bumping into her (he hadn’t been watching where he was going), Robert froze. Her hand was touching the bullet wound, with just the thin covering of Robert’s shirt in the way, and Robert couldn’t move. Aaron could see the problem instantly, even when Rebecca was frowning, about to ask what was wrong with him.

“Robert, come on,” Aaron said quietly, pulling him back a step. “She didn’t mean to.” It was only when there was space between them that Robert could pull air back into his lungs.

“What’s wrong with you?” Rebecca asked with a frown. Aaron stroked behind Robert’s ear with his thumb, trying to calm him down, which after several deep breaths worked. From Rebecca’s expression, she didn’t know what made him calm down. And for the first time, Aaron allowed himself to freely believe what Robert had told him, that no one else did compare to him, that the way it was between them, Robert hadn’t had that before. When Rebecca looked lat him like this, it was obvious that she’d never really known him. Maybe because Robert had never allowed it, but he did allow it with Aaron. And Aaron started to see that that was more important than he’d previously thought.

“He doesn’t like being touched there,” Aaron said in explanation, grateful that some of the people in the pub were being sucked back into their own conversations.

“Where?” Rebecca asked, still frowning. “All I did was stop him walking into me.” Aaron scowled. That didn’t make any sense to him, Rebecca slept with him not too long ago, her expanding stomach made that obvious. How would she not know that Robert hated having his chest touched over his scar? Aaron didn’t believe however much he’d had to drink that Robert would let that happen, without Rebecca knowing it was uncomfortable. He was even wary with Aaron in bed, there. So a drunken fumble that meant nothing… No.

“Rebecca…” Robert started, coming back to himself now.

“No, hang on,” Aaron said. “Where was he shot?”

“Excuse me?”

“Where’s his bullet wound?”

“I erm… look I’m not going to compare notes with you,” she said, rolling her eyes. And most decidedly dodging the question.

“Aaron, don’t,” Robert said half heartedly, but Aaron wasn’t looking at him. He couldn’t tear his eyes off of Rebecca.

“You don’t know,” Aaron said, marvelling at it. “You don’t know, because you never slept with him, did you?” Aaron asked. “And he’d had too much to drink to properly remember, so you just let him believe that?” She flinched and Aaron knew he was close to the truth, even as he could feel the tension rising in Robert. “You let him believe that’s his baby for six months?! What’s wrong with you?”

“No, it’s…”

“Rebecca?” Robert asked quietly, now aware that the full attention of the pub was on the three of them again. He pointed at her bump. “That’s not mine?”

“No,” she admitted, at least looking ashamed.

Robert stuttered. He couldn’t believe this. He thought his one drunken mistake was going to ruin his life. Take the man he loved from him, all because Robert was an idiot. Then through some miracle, Aaron had forgiven him. Then they’d found out Rebecca was still pregnant, and Robert had thought it was going to destroy his life all over again. Rebecca was six months pregnant now, and both men had just about got their heads around it. Robert had even been tentatively looking forward to the baby, because he had Aaron by his side. And now to find out this?

“How could you lie?!” Aaron asked as Robert was speechless. “How could you do that for months on end?”

“He cheats on everyone!” Rebecca snapped. “He would have cheated on you had he stayed conscious. It was only the whisky that stopped him!”

“It was only the whisky that made him go near you,” Aaron spat, whether he believed it or not didn’t matter. He was far too angry right now.

“And that’s your defence, is it?” Robert said, finding his voice. “That if I’d been less drunk I might have slept with you and stayed conscious?! That I might be the father of the baby you’re carrying?!”

Things were snapping into focus for Aaron, like someone had just lifted the sheet from his vision. That’s why Rebecca had never once apologised for sleeping with a married man. That’s why the guilt had swamped Robert when he’d come clean, Aaron had always wondered how he could do it if he felt that terrible. That’s why Robert’s comment about how he must’ve passed out suddenly made sense. Aaron had been right all along, she was trying to trap him. God knows why.

“Why would you lie?” Aaron asked again, feeling the tears building behind his eyes. The fact that one woman could have this level of control over the two of them.

“I thought you’d leave him! I never thought you’d stay with him!” Rebecca snapped. "He cheats on everyone, Chrissie, me, you. There will have been others Aaron, just because he couldn't hide it with me. And you stay with him?!"

“I stayed because he made a mistake!” Aaron shouted. “An honest mistake. He never lied the way you have. God what…”

“I can’t be here,” Robert suddenly breathed, looking at Aaron as his eyes were wild. “I can’t do this, I can’t.”

“Go home,” Aaron said to him gently. “And you, stay away from us!” Aaron snapped, following Robert out of the pub.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, thank you all so much for the encouragement on chapter one. Just the boys here, and Aaron being supportive. Hope you enjoy this second half as much!!

Robert hadn’t spoken until they got to the Mill. Once unlocking the door, he sat on the sofa and Aaron watched him shaking. “Robert, are you going to talk to me?” Aaron asked, after he’d made them both a cup of tea, hoping the time that took to make would help. It didn’t. Robert placed his mug on the table, just shaking his head.

“I don’t get it,” Robert said. “How could she lie, how could…?”

“Well, they both hate you,” Aaron said.

“Both?”

“Rebecca wouldn’t lie about the father of her baby without Chrissie knowing the truth,” Aaron said. Probably accurately, Robert thought.

“Okay, it’s not like Chrissie doesn’t have reasons to hate me,” Robert said fairly. “But how long would she have kept lying? When the kid was born? Five? Eighteen? I mean, God!”

“She wouldn’t,” Aaron said. Robert looked at Aaron in complete disbelief. Why was he sticking up for her? “Come on, how hard did we have to push just now for her to admit it?” 

“But why?” Robert asked, sounding almost broken. “We’ve just got our heads around it, and you’re still here with me though you didn’t have to be, and… we’d got past it. I’m not saying it was going to be easy, especially when the baby was born, but… we were okay.”

“Yeah,” Aaron said quietly, sitting opposite him. “Are we not still okay?”

“I guess,” Robert said. “I just… this is a shock. I’d accepted what I’d done. And..." Aaron's expression didn't change. “Why aren’t you acting more relived?” Robert asked. “I never slept with her, I never cheated and you seem like it doesn’t matter.”

“Because… that, I don’t think it does matter,” Aaron said quietly. Robert didn’t understand and it must have shown on his face. “I struggled with the baby, with the fact that she would always in some ways be closer to you than I could be. But sleeping with her? Just sex. I came to terms with that a long time ago, and while I hate imagining you with her, God, I hate it, Robert. But I could get past it, because I believed you when you said it meant nothing.” Robert still looked confused. “I remember what “just sex” with you feels like, before we both got in too deep. It’s better now, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” Robert said instantly, he couldn’t deny that truth. “Of course it is because I’m in love with you.” Aaron smiled slightly. “But the sex then was better anyway, with you.”

“Robert…”

“It must have been, because she could lie,” Robert said, shrugging slightly. “I had no idea I hadn’t slept with her, I had no memory of it. I assumed, because I’m me and she acted like we had.”

“I do like that you’ve been faithful,” Aaron said. “Don’t think I don’t, but I’m not stupid. It wouldn’t have taken much to turn it the other way. Would it? At the time.”

“Aaron…”

“I know what you’re like when you’re drunk Robert,” Aaron said. “And clearly she’s not to be trusted in taking advantage of someone vulnerable. I saw you a few days later in prison. You were a wreck, and I knew something had gone on. I just said it was the drugs or I was paranoid, because I didn’t want to believe it.” 

Robert shakes his head. “How can it not matter?”

“Well, it does matter,” Aaron said. “I’d got over it though. Mostly. Maybe you shouldn’t have invited her around when you were that drunk not to remember,“ he said softly. Aaron tried desperately to keep the criticism out of his voice, because he understood why Robert did it and he‘s not trying to blame him for this. He had never blamed Robert entirely for it anyway, he’d blamed himself a little and Rebecca a little too. Sleeping with Rebecca hurt him immensely, but the forgiveness had come from the fact that he understood the reasons. It wasn’t because he wanted her or loved her, it wasn’t because of anything much to do with Rebecca at all. It was because Aaron was pushing him away, and Robert was falling apart. And that made it easier to forgive somehow. Just… a baby had complicated all that.

“And maybe I shouldn’t have pushed you away all the time,” Aaron added. “Maybe we should both have talked more.”

“I’m not arguing with that,” Robert said softly, pulling Aaron in for a soft kiss. When they parted, Robert breathed him in for a moment. “But the baby…”

“Is not yours,” Aaron said, not wanting to hurt him any more.

“But we’ve got a cot in the spare room,” Robert said quietly, as if being prepared for a baby would change things. “It’s… we were doing okay, right? I mean it’s not ideal, but this was…”

“I know,” Aaron said, holding his hand gently. “I’m sorry she lied.”

“We’d got used to it, me and you, as well as her and… this’ll sound stupid, but I’m never going to cheat on you, I’m never going to leave you, so this was almost like… our only shot at it.”

Aaron looked at him incredibly sadly, seeing Robert’s walls start to go up. “Does this sound stupid… of course it sounds stupid.”

“Look, I know this wasn’t the ideal way for a child to happen for you,” Aaron said. “But it’s not your only chance. You said it yourself, we could have a family at some point.” Robert just shook his head. “This meant a lot to you, didn’t it?”

“Not her,” Robert was quick to say. “But after the total shock and the fear that you’d leave me because of it… after that died down, yeah. I thought… maybe I could be better than my own father. Scared shitless, but… and now it’s gone.”

“This isn’t the end Robert,” Aaron said quietly.

“I don’t get how you’re so calm,” Robert said shaking his head. “I don’t understand.”

“You having a fuzzy memory that night and regretting things with Rebecca?” Aaron said. “That’s not news to me, Robert. The relationship we have is more than I thought I’d ever have with anyone. I feel lucky to have you. Most days when you don’t kick me in bed or wind Liv up so much that she bursts into tears.”

“Once that happened,” Robert said. “And that girl can give as good as she gets, don’t let her fool you.” Aaron smiled at him softly. 

“We’ll be okay,” Aaron said surely. “I know we will. And look at us, actually talking, not throwing bottles around the place and screaming and yelling. I’d call that progress.” Robert laughed weakly, leaning forward to rest his forehead against Aaron. And that was another touch that Aaron knew no one else had ever got. That silent request for reassurance, to know that whatever life threw at them, they both had each other. And Aaron gave it to him, always. Because for so long at the start of their relationship, it was always about Aaron needing, wanting Robert and getting nothing in return. Now, even under horrible circumstances, Aaron was glad Robert needed and wanted him. They were not perfect people, they would always screw up. But life looked a lot better when they had each other to work through it together.


End file.
